Kelly Hopkins

Kelly Hopkins, the founder of Let’s NVST, launched her business in April 2023 to help investors and developers navigate the complex world of property investment safely. As a solo entrepreneur and mother of two young children, Kelly is dedicated to making property investment easier and more accessible with the upcoming launch of her new marketplace. In this interview, Kelly shares her journey, the challenges she faces balancing motherhood and entrepreneurship, and her vision for the future of Let’s NVST.

Can you share your journey of entrepreneurship from the time you decided to start your business to where you are now, considering the significant milestones of trying to conceive, pregnancy, and post-partum?

I started my entrepreneurial journey when I was on maternity leave from my NHS accountant role with my youngest. Because of this, I was in a fortunate position where I was receiving occupational maternity pay when in the very early days of Let's NVST. When it came to returning to work, I knew that a start-up, my accountant role and two little ones was too much, so I decided to take a career break from my employed role to give my start-up the time and energy it needed.

Did you experience any changes in your entrepreneurial mindset or approach during pregnancy or after becoming a mother? If so, how did these changes manifest?

Becoming a mum has changed my mindset massively. Big of a backstory but I lost my dad in 2017, which has a huge effect on my life. I’ve always been ambitious but in the time following that I didn’t quite get that spark back on the career path I was on. I enjoyed my job, but I’d lost that ambition to progress. Two children later and becoming a mum has reignited my ambition, just in a different way to what I’d imagined.  The barriers I once saw as being too high now feel like a challenge to overcome rather than feeling impossible. The whole premise of my business has stemmed from wanting to help people and I want to show my children that you can do anything you put your mind to.

What support systems or resources were most beneficial to you during your journey as an entrepreneur navigating pregnancy and motherhood?

My husband has been my biggest supporter throughout my whole founder journey. He has really stepped up to take some of the mental load off me as a mum. Simple things such as being the key contact for childcare which stops me being bombarded with a million phone calls and emails. I appreciate that not all mums have that and I’m very thankful that I do.  

Reflecting on your experience, what are some successes or achievements in your business that you attribute to your journey through trying to conceive, pregnancy, and post-partum?

I’ve often wondered what this journey would have looked like if I had done it prior to being a mum, but the reality is, without becoming a mum, I don’t know whether the business would have been born. I’m the person I am today because of the skills and the reignited ambition I have now following having my children.

Conversely, what were some of the biggest obstacles or setbacks you encountered as a female entrepreneur during this period? How did you overcome them?

The biggest obstacles have been illnesses and navigating childcare funding and costs. Illnesses are part and parcel of having a young child, everyone knows that. What I don’t think I was anywhere near as prepared for is how much of an impact that has on a solo-founded startup. It did mean sometimes having to cancel or rearrange meetings/calls, thankfully people are generally understanding once you explain that it’s a childcare issue.

As for funding/costs, this has been a bit of a headache. Firstly, the cost. I asked the nursery what the financial impact would be of both going full time and it would have been circa £2,500 a month (and that's a 4 week month!). How is this sustainable for working mums? It shouldn't be ambition or motherhood. The financial impact means that we are operating on 3 days a week paid childcare, juggling the remaining 2 working days as best as possible.

The funding has also been interesting as I don’t seem to neatly fit into a box as I’m not yet taking a salary from my startup. This led to the childcare funding team initially having to process our case as if I was unemployed, which meant losing all funding. Thankfully this has all been resolved, but it wasn’t made easy and caused us a significant amount of unnecessary stress.

In hindsight, what additional support or resources do you wish you had access to during your journey through entrepreneurship while being pregnant and a new mother?

Additional government schemes to financially support help self-employed new parents, and a funding criteria that acknowledges that not all start-ups make money from day 1. To be treated like I wasn't making a contribution to society and therefore didn't need support at a time when I'm putting every bit of energy I have into my start-up and raising young children was so disheartening. Surely the potential long-term contribution to society outweighs the initial financial support, and this should be considered. 

How did you balance the demands of entrepreneurship with the needs of your child during their early years? What strategies or techniques proved most effective for you?

I’m still trying to figure this one out! But what I have learnt is that I need to carve out time for me. Balancing the demands of a start-up and being concious of being a present mum is tough – it’s feeling tired before you start your working day, and then turning your laptop off knowing you’ve got another shift (the mum shift) to do before you can switch off. In the chaos of everything, it’s so easy to forget about yourself, and I’ve definitely done that a few times lately. I find time blocking as well as briefly mapping out the following day in the evening really helps me focus and bring order to my days.

Looking ahead, what advice would you offer to other female entrepreneurs who are either considering starting a family or are already juggling entrepreneurship and motherhood?

For yourself, set boundaries and respect them. Your children and your business rely on you.

For fellow entrepreneur mums, be the support that you needed. Motherhood can be overwhelming, but coupled with the added pressure of juggling a business and it can get intense. Don’t underestimate how much being a listening ear can help others.